Oh, thank goodness-- Apple has finally posted some new press releases, and not a second too soon. The company issued its last one waaaaaaay back on the first of the month, and seeing as we're hurtling toward October like a charging bull elephant in cleats, that means it's been almost a full month. It's a little-known fact that if Apple ever went thirty consecutive days without a press release our hearts would most likely explode in our chests, so we're classifying this as just another bullet we dodged.

But it's not all smoochy-lips and backrubs, here, people; one of the reasons why we're physically dependent on a regular stream of Apple press releases is because they always include a sound-bite quote from some bigwig at the company, and traditionally the less-trivial releases include a quote from Steve Jobs himself. So while our hearts haven't yet burst forth from our thoracic cavities in a festive spray of bodily fluids, we are starting the feel the pressure build, because Apple hasn't given us a press release with a Steve quote since July 25th-- for good reason, we assume, since that was just days before the guy's cancer surgery. Since then the press release quote machine has been cranked by senior marketing veep Phil Schiller, applications veep Eddy Cue, and-- as in today's offerings introducing new versions of Logic and two new Jam Packs for GarageBand-- applications marketing veep Rob Schoeben.

Nothing against these guys, mind you, but we were really hoping for an indication that post-op Steve is back in the saddle, taking names, and kicking kiester-- and churning out short quotes for press releases like he used to. So while we're appropriately pleased that Apple has disgorged a bellyful of new professional and consumer music production software, our enthusiasm is dampened somewhat by the concern that Steve said he'd be back on the job in September, September's almost over, and we're still getting Steveless press releases (when we get them at all).

Actually, you know what, though? Never mind us. After all, these are the first press releases to emerge from Apple since Steve came back part-time, and they're both minor enough that Steve almost certainly would've sent in a pinch quoter even under the best circumstances. For example, the last time Apple dished a press release about Logic, the quote within came from the lips of-- yup, you guessed it-- Rob Schoeben, just like the quotes in both releases today. That was last January, mind you, long before anyone was thinking about Steve's pancreas, so we're sure none of this "no Steve quotes" hoo-haa means a thing. Still, we'd definitely welcome some highly visible indication that Steve's back and all's right with the universe. You know how we worry.